The Master Plan Major Figures

Chris Wilson

Chris Wilson is the author of the memoir The Master Plan, which describes his childhood, imprisonment, struggle for release from prison, and life after release. His life path is shaped by childhood trauma and by his own efforts to overcome it, and he explores both the lasting scars of a childhood marred with violence and poverty and the enormous amount of work it takes to pursue a purpose in life after becoming incarcerated. Wilson’s tone is hopeful, even as he describes the lowest points of his life, and he uses his experiences to show that having a purpose in life and a Master Plan can bring a person success. At the same time, he makes the point that the path to freedom available to him was unusual and in many ways harder than necessary. In the end, his argument is partly that each individual can have a purpose and a plan to make their life meaningful and partly that the criminal justice system could make stories like his more common if it focused on rehabilitation, not punishment.

Mona

Chris Wilson’s mother goes by the nickname Mona—after the famous da Vinci painting Mona Lisa. At the beginning of the narrative, she is a hardworking and loving mother. Wilson calls her a “striver” who became pregnant at 16 but finished high school, got married, had more kids, bought a house, and became a paramedic. As a child, Wilson spent weekends with her, and these are the bright moments of his early life. However, after she is beaten and raped by a boyfriend, she becomes addicted to painkillers, then other drugs. She is increasingly unavailable to Wilson emotionally due to the drugs and poor mental health, and once he is imprisoned with a life sentence, she withdraws from him even more, eventually refusing to take his calls from prison. Wilson feels abandoned, and when they finally have a conversation, he is not able to tell her he loves her. She dies by suicide that night. The sense of guilt Wilson experiences after this event is crushing and leaves him with unresolved feelings of regret that pain him years later.

Steve Edwards

Chris Wilson meets Steve Edwards in prison as Wilson is working to get his GED. Steve is extremely intelligent; he scores so high on his GED that he is forced to take it twice. Then he is given a job helping other students. Steve tutors Wilson so he can pass his GEDs, but he also provides Wilson with an example of a person with purpose, knowledge, a work ethic, and self-discipline. With Steve as his inspiration, Wilson begins the journey toward turning his life around.

Steve is in prison for murder as well, and even after Wilson gets out, Steve stays locked up. But Wilson still looks up to him as a mentor and considers him a friend and calls him each week to talk. Meanwhile, Steve’s lawyers work on getting him out, arguing that Steve’s actions were a result of traumatic brain injury caused by a bad beating. This argument—one of the first to acknowledge the medical condition—is ultimately successful, and Steve is released. Though his life takes a different path from Wilson’s after this situation, Wilson still considers him one of the most important people in his life.

Eric

Chris Wilson’s cousin Eric is an influential presence in Wilson’s life as a child and teen. Early in Wilson’s life, the cousins’ relationship is mostly positive; Eric is only four years older and is able to act as a kind of big brother to Wilson. Eric is generous with his time and resources: he gives Wilson clothes, takes him to clubs, and lets him sleep on his floor from time to time. These are welcome escapes from Wilson’s life at home, where things are getting worse quickly. However, Eric is killed in a shooting, and this pushes Wilson into a deep depression. He grieves over his cousin and gets so drunk he has to go to the hospital for alcohol poisoning. This event leads to Wilson’s first stay in juvenile detention.

Keith Showstack

Keith Showstack is Chris Wilson’s second lawyer and the one who manages to get Wilson the sentence reduction hearing that leads to his release. Showstack is present in the prologue of the memoir, in the courtroom at this momentous hearing. But readers don’t meet him again until midway through the narrative, after Harry Trainor, Wilson’s original lawyer, leaves the practice. Showstack is a guy from South Boston with a working-class background and a thick Boston accent, but he is hardworking—something Wilson recognizes and appreciates. It’s Showstack who applies repeatedly for Wilson’s sentence reduction hearing, trying to choose the timing for the best results but persevering even when his best efforts don’t yield results. Showstack’s belief in Wilson’s worthiness, his cheerful persistence, and his confidence in court greatly impact Wilson’s life.

Darico

Darico is Chris Wilson’s son, born when Wilson was 16. Wilson doesn’t see Darico until he’s six months old and doesn’t get to be a big part of his son’s life because he is in prison and has very limited contact with him. There are several ways that Darico’s presence in Wilson’s life, however limited, influences Wilson’s choices. First, having a son makes Wilson—whose own father was largely absent from his life—want to be a good father. This provides additional motivation for Wilson to continue to improve himself. Second, Wilson’s role as Darico’s father puts him in the position of having to decide whether his son will go into foster care or be raised by Mona, Wilson’s mom. Wilson decides against giving his mother custody, further driving a wedge between him and his mother. Third, because Darico has some of the same kinds of childhood problems Wilson experienced and spends time incarcerated, Wilson has the chance to try to be the kind of father he wishes he’d had: helpful, patient, and always ready to welcome his son home with “open arms.”

Erick Wright

Erick Wright enters Chris Wilson’s life around the same time Keith Showstack does, and he is another encouraging presence in Wilson’s life. Erick has coincidental ties to Wilson—he dated Wilson’s sister and knows Steve Edwards. Like Showstack, after meeting Wilson, Erick is convinced that Chris is special and becomes a supporter of him. He stays in touch, visits, sends Wilson clothes and music in prison, and keeps an eye on Wilson’s mom. He buys Wilson a suit when he gets out. He gives Wilson a place to stay. Erick is simply a genuinely giving person—he has a comfortable life, but he still wants to help others. He’s not Wilson’s flashiest friend, but he is loyal and steady, and he becomes an essential component of Wilson’s path to freedom and purpose.